Two Pieces of the Same Soul
by Eileen Stardust
Summary: Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson.
1. Chapter 1

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thanks for Cony, for editing this for me! :)**

* * *

They saw each other again after almost two years. Before Auggie left with Natasha, they had created a protocol in order to keep somewhat in touch, or if they ever needed each other's help. It was not a "get-out-of-jail" card with a phone number, or a Russian pet site looking for a long lost collie. But it was protocol. And Auggie kept his eyes open, so to speak, waiting for any sign of Annie. That night, when she told him that she knew what she wanted, he was sure she meant the Agency. He couldn't imagine Annie not working for the CIA. But she surprised him, blind-sided him was more accurate, even though he'd been blind for years.

He called Joan as soon as he and Natasha arrived in France, to check in, and she told him that Annie declined her proposal. She was staying with McQuaid Security; but she would be more than happy to talk to Ryan about putting together a task force, which she would most likely be part of, contracted out to the CIA. That way, she would have the best of both worlds: she would get to make the world a better place, having access to a lot more resources and money, and have a lot more freedom than if she stayed with the agency. She would be able to make a real difference, with a lot less red tape.

After that first contact, he called Joan on a regular basis, sometimes fishing for some news about Annie, sometimes just to check in. They never really mentioned Annie, but he called all the same. Joan had a lot to say about a lot of things, but what she didn't tell him was that Annie never got to be Mrs. Annie McQuaid. Joan was meddling, but she felt that, since Auggie was trying to make things work with Natasha, he didn't need that particular distraction. She was positive that, if he knew Annie turned Ryan down, he'd wonder if he was part of the reason she declined, if she still had feelings for him. Joan knew his former operatives too well. It was a need-to-know situation, and she didn't feel that Auggie needed to know. Not right now anyway. She always ended the call asking him to check in from time to time, knowing how much danger and problems used to follow the both of them, and left him to his own devices.

He was happy for quite a while. They went through most of the European countries, even some East European ones. They ventured too close to Russia once, but Auggie didn't want to go there. It reminded him of Annie too much. Then, a few problems started to appear. Of course Natasha tired of being his sighted guide. Living with her – or with anybody if he was being truthful - on a more permanent base would never be easy, but he gave a genuine try. Deep inside, he knew that Natasha tired easily of being in the same place for more than a couple of weeks, of leaving things in the same place every single day. At first, seeing the world with her sounded like a great idea, but after a solid 18 months he was tired of never getting to get his bearings. He needed constancy, order and predictability. And Natasha needed chaos, thrived in chaos. He couldn't get his bearings amidst chaos. So, she went off to Amsterdam, and Auggie returned to the States, to his old life, his old job.

He missed Annie like crazy those 18 months, but not like this. While travelling, time passed in a different rhythm, and he would go weeks without thinking of her until something would catch his attention. But not when he was stateside. Here, he couldn't go more than 5 minutes without thinking of her. Being in the Agency and not working with Annie was weird, and he had had enough of it. He knew about the task force, because really, when did "need-to-know" stopped him from finding out anything. Especially something related to Annie, but he was yet to be able to work with her in the past year. He had yet to hear from her too, in these months he was back at the Agency. They hadn't talked in two years, since he left her apartment. He had left innumerous messages in her voice mail, and it looked like the few ones she returned were always carefully constructed, always made in times when he was unavailable. It was beginning to feel like a cat and mouse game, and he wasn't sure who was chasing whom.

Annie had left her apartment that day with an idea. She hated that she would have to deceive Ryan for some time to get it done, but she couldn't see any other way to achieve it. She wanted to keep working with him, for him, but she didn't want to get married. Not now, anyway. Maybe never. And she felt that, if she were to break things up, he'd never let her be a part of this company. So she stayed. She said that she wasn't interested in marriage. That her life was not conductive with porch swings and white picket fences, but she had no problems with their relationship staying as it was. It was light and fun, the sex was great, and they were a great team. Why tempt fate? She refused to be compromised by a relationship, like she told Auggie when she came back in. She would keep her life centered on her job, she would avoid romantic entanglements, and that's how her life was going to go from now on. She knew that in a way, she really loved Ryan, because he saw her for what she was, but she didn't consider their relationship a real romantic entanglement. She didn't lose herself in him like she did before. She didn't love him like that, not like Auggie.

She thought that eventually, Ryan would tire of waiting for her and just give up. It took a while, but it happened. He proposed three times, and on the last one, he made it clear that she needed to let him go, if she never intended to be with him forever. So she did. They broke up, but stayed in good terms. Ryan understood that losing Annie in his personal life was bad enough; he didn't want to lose her in a professional capacity too. She was too good an operative for him to lose her entirely. So he kept her on his team, but barely saw her. She was always on a mission, in some part of the world. It was funny that Auggie was the one who wanted to see the world, and Annie was the one who got to do that, never staying too long anywhere.

So it was not that weird, with Joan's resolution that Auggie didn't need to know, and Annie spending most of her time abroad, that he didn't have the faintest idea that they were both single, and both trying to pretend that they didn't have feelings for each other. Auggie's excuse was that he thought Annie was happy with McQuaid; and Annie's excuse was that she believed she had lost her chance long ago. She pushed him away, and he first fell for Helen's wiles, and then Natasha's. It didn't matter that Natasha was currently in Germany and Auggie was back at his desk at Langley. She still felt she had lost him to her.

But it's been two years, and he had prepared that damn protocol. She couldn't ignore it. She did her best to avoid seeing him, working with him, but to break a protocol like that was like rubbing in both their faces that the 5 years together (and the last two apart) meant nothing. So there she was, waiting by the reflecting pool at the National Mall, shortly after returning from her last mission.

According to Auggie's protocol, no matter where they were after two years, they would meet in DC, at the National Mall, by the reflecting pool. Two years was the limit. They both knew that, if they needed each other's help, they would end up easily tracking each other down. Their friendship was solid, even in the worst of times their friendship was solid enough. Even after Helen, their friendship was solid. It got Annie through the whole Wilcox issue: She still remembered, albeit with a large dose of guilt, the trip he made to Hong Kong to help her. That damn "dinner", the way he clung to her that night, after making love for the last time. She was still ashamed today, of how much she needed him that night. Of how much she needed his touch, his fire, to remember she was still alive. She still felt guilty for not being strong enough to escape him, to resist him; felt even guiltier for not being strong enough to be with him. If she were honest with herself, the guilt started when she let Helen drive a wedge between them. She didn't know what was worst: knowing that she was gullible enough to believe Helen and break up with Auggie, or knowing that Helen then used that wedge to sleep with him, even after knowing where his heart – and hers-– lied. Or if she felt guiltier knowing that Helen died in her place. She had come a long way from there, but she knew she had hurt him a lot in the process. She knew their real ending began when she decided to go dark, and fake her death. That hurt him even more than that night in Hong Kong, taking only bits and pieces of what he was offering her. Then she plunged the knife in his chest vanishing for 4 months after killing Henry, instead of getting on that boat for the agreed extraction.

To Auggie, the last drop had been the fact that she went to Eyal for help instead of him, when she discovered her heart disease: she lied to him, evaded him, hid things from him, then asked for his help to cover it up when he discovered it. None of that hurt him all that much, compared to learning that she stayed with Eyal during those 4 months. Not only because she needed his help. She **stayed** with him, hell, probably shared his bed too. That was the nail in the proverbial coffin of their relationship. She could have come to him, and she chose Eyal.

Both of them knew, since Amsterdam, that Eyal had feelings for her: Auggie might be blind, but he was not stupid. Neither was Eyal, as far as Auggie's assessment of the man went… There was no way in hell he would have stayed away from Annie those four months, no man would.

Still, when she came back from the cold, after her name was cleared, and she was not deemed a traitor, a rogue agent, they were able to start restoring their friendship. He thought that they were on the right track, that everything would be back to normal with them. Well, their version of normal. Then Ryan happened. And Auggie finally came to terms with the fact that Annie would never be his again. They had a brief moment, in Argentina, when he thought that they still had a chance. She came for him, rescued him, saved his life, and helped him save the last man from his Unit that was still alive. When she was undressing, him, inside that church, looking for tracking devices, the lines seemed to blur again. But she was with McQuaid, so nothing happened, and soon after he left the Agency to follow Natasha around the world, with the firm belief that Annie would no later accept Ryan's proposal, and he didn't want to be there to watch it.

So Annie got back from Syria, to meet Auggie at the reflecting pool. She heard rumors that he was back with the Agency a couple of months ago, but she still hadn't seen nor heard from him. She had dinner with Ryan and a couple of the guys last night, after she checked in, but she was afraid to talk about Auggie. Instead, she made small talk, and avoided the looks Ryan gave her all night. It was the first time that Annie came back and asked for a few days off, and although he was happy to give her however many days she needed, he still found it odd. She arrived earlier at the agreed location, being too restless to stay at home. It's been two years, and she missed him. She didn't want to confront her feelings, didn't want to revisit them. She didn't want to admit to herself the mistakes she made regarding her heart. He was in the past, and there was no reason to drag it back up. They would meet, and exchange pleasantries, get a beer, reminiscence old times, old memories, and she would be back on a mission after a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks. Nothing would change.

Seeing him was a shock she did not expect. It took her all her willpower not to reach for a dose of her heart medication, when she felt her heart constrict, and she couldn't take a deep breath to save her life. Soon, though, she noticed that it was not a heart episode, it was not a panic attack: it was just her body's reaction to seeing him after so much time. Thank God he was blind, because she felt like the worst covert operative at the moment. Her every emotion could be read in her eyes. Her feelings were all in disarray, making a mockery of her training. She needed to get it together before he came too near her, embraced her, touched her… otherwise, she would lose it. She took a deep breath, tried to calm her aching heart, schooled her features, and met him with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

Auggie sensed her before he "saw" her. He too was having trouble controlling his reaction to meeting Annie again. He thought about her all day, the minutes taking double the usual time to pass. He could barely pay attention to his duties, he needed Barber to take his place as one of his operative's handler, because he just couldn't focus on the task at hand. It took all his special forces training, all his refined spy craft to keep his body under control, and his head on the game, as he was assaulted with Annie Walker's signature perfume. He kept himself in check, swallowed hard before pulling her to her feet and embracing her, unable to avoid taking a deep breath and lost himself in her scent. It has been too damn long.

"I missed you, Helvetica". He said, hoping she would not notice the slight quiver in his voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you for Cony for editing it for me! :)**

* * *

 _"I missed you, Helvetica". He said, hoping she would not notice the slight quiver in his voice._

A couple of hours later, they were sitting at Allen's, with a pitch of beer between them. Auggie was talking about the places he'd been since he left, almost two years ago, and Annie was doing her best to listen intently, trying to avoid thinking too much about what was going on. In reality, she could still feel his arms around her, his body heat surrounding her, the slightest pressure of his body against hers when he hugged her. It went on for longer than she was prepared for… Not in awkward way, but for a couple of seconds her mind went back to the past, and she was having trouble keeping herself in the present right now.

Still, she laughed at all the right times, and asked all the right questions. If Auggie didn't know any better, he'd think that there wasn't two whole years between them. But he could sense that all was not right between them. There was way too little touching for it to be perfectly normal between them. They were always a little too handsy with each other. Mostly out of necessity: he was blind, and touch and smell was how he made sense of the world now; and in addition to being blind, he was her handler, her trainer, her buddy, her best friend. He needed her to guide him when he was not using his cane, which meant a soft brush of her hand, and the smooth surface of her arm, the inside of her elbow. All of which he was still very in tune still today, after so many time. She, on the other hand, needed him to teach her hand-to-hand combat techniques when she first started, which most likely meant that he'd have her pined to the ground on a daily basis. It all ended up meaning they were very touchy-feely with each other.

So, the lack of touch was unnerving. Strange. And very, very telling. She was a master spy, she should be aware that the lack of physical contact would raise suspicions, but she was not strong enough to endure that. Just that hug had already made dents in her neatly constructed armor. She needed to distance herself, to think clear. Which was an impossible thing to do in the middle of a bar, drinking beer. The alcohol was already lowering her defenses, Auggie noticed, when he covered her hand with his and she didn't immediately tried to break free.

"Hey" He said. "Where are you? You seem miles away," he asked, although he was pretty sure he'd be graced with more evasive techniques. He had been her handler for a long time, he knew how her mind worked, how she played this game.

"Hum?" Annie hummed, suddenly trying to focus on his face. "I'm right here, Auggie." She tried to smile, a big smile that did not reach her eyes. "I was just trying to remember the last time I was in Belgium." She tried to cover. "I've spent so much time in the middle east lately that I almost forgot what Europe looks like. If I close my eyes, all I keep seeing is deserts and small villages. None of which have half the culture or class Europe does."

Auggie sighed, divided between calling her on her shit, or letting it slide. Apparently, there was still too much hurt between them, if she felt she couldn't be honest with him. Or maybe she had been covert for so much time she didn't know anymore how to be honest. But one thing he knew for sure from the brief contact: there was no ring on her finger. Hope, as small as a needle pin's head started to take form in his heart. He told himself not to think too much about it. It was Annie after all. If someone had the power to bring him to his knees, it was her. He wanted her. Sometimes he felt he always wanted her, since he first met her, and he had let her go too many times for one life.

The first time, he blamed it on Helen, even if he agreed with her, at least in the beginning. The second time, it was all on him. There was hope for like a nanosecond, when she left his apartment during Calder's witch-hunt, but then she was gone. What little hope they still had of being together was constantly put to the test with her away, working off book and in the dark, without his protection. And of course it went from bad to worse when she decided to take herself out of the chessboard. What smidgen of hope that was left for them was properly squashed when he slept with Helen, while Annie was chasing Henry in Switzerland. He tried to think that Annie left him no choice when she refused to establish a protocol after Calder "shot" her. But really, he should have more faith in her. It was his life too she was trying to save. But the whole Helen thing happened. And then she died. Again. And then Hong Kong happened, and Auggie thought for a brief moment that they were going to make it. He really thought that, after all they went through, even after Helen, that there was a chance for them. A real chance, now that Henry was dead. Damn it, he didn't want to go there, didn't want to remember that particular set of events, because even though Henry **was dead** , he still won, when those events ultimately led Annie to Eyal. And he's yet to forgive her for that.

So, as much as he wanted her, loved her, he knew he needed to forgive himself for a lot, before going down that road. All that without mentioning Natasha, and the last 18 months he spent trying to convince himself of something he knew was long gone. Instead of calling her on it, he just smiled, and pretended to believe she was thinking about the last time she went to Belgium. After all, two could play this game.

Annie bit the inside of her lip, and tried to remain calm. Act normal. It has been so long since they've been together that she didn't even know anymore what was normal for them. She didn't like this distance between them, but she didn't know how to get rid of it. They've been co-workers, and they've been friends, and they've been lovers, and then they were handler and operative again, but she couldn't pinpoint what they were right now. All she knew was that all those feelings she thought she had buried a long time ago where threatening to resurface, and she needed to get a hold of herself before she made a fool of herself. Again.

So she talked. She talked about her travels, about her work (at least the parts that were not above his clearance), and she talked about Danielle and the girls. She told very little about Ryan, not wanting to complicate things even more. She talked about the concerts she went to in Europe, she talked about how she finally learned how to cook, and she talked about the people she met.

"So, there I was, in the middle of the Yucatan desert, without ammo, without comms, without well, anything. And I ran into an old buddy of yours. You really do have friends everywhere" She told him.

She loved this story, and she wanted to tell him that for a long time, so even though she knew she was just buying some time, trying to ignore the giant elephant in the room, she told it the best she could. "I was positive I was done, there was no way my extraction team would know where I was, having ditched my earpiece well before I was made, when I ran into him."

She paused, and took a deep drink of her beer, before she continued. She was really smiling now. She was coming to the best part of the story, the one she practically rehearsed, wanting so bad to share it with him.

"Captain Oswell was not happy to see me there, but I recognized him from one of your old photos, and I told him I used to work with you at the Agency. It took me a while to convince him, but it looks like there's not a lot of people who listened to Mingus during raids. He got me out so quickly, Ryan never knew I was gone." She babbled, on and on. God she was nervous. Even more nervous than when she decided to come back from the cold.

"I can't believe you met Pete. I mean, if you were to be stranded in the middle of the Mexican desert, he's the guy you should run into." Auggie said, trying to keep up with the pretense they were creating. Inside he was seething: he really believed that if she ever needed help, she would not hesitate to track him down. He'd never failed to get her out of the jams she put herself into. But before he could even argue with himself, she continued:

"I mean, of course you were the first name on my list of people I should call when stranded in the middle of the desert, but I didn't have enough time to try and find any open lines of communication. I don't know if you know it, but phones are hard to come by in the middle of the desert. In the end, I didn't even need to call anyone. Because I literally ran into him. It was like running into a brick wall" She said. "I turned a corner, looked back for a second, and when I turned around, I bumped into a very hard chest, and felt the barrel of his gun on my stomach."

She went on, sensing he would not like this part of her story, and wanting to smooth things over. She stopped briefly to open her bag to search for something. "Anyway, he sent his regards, but we thought you would accept even better a bottle of Patrón as compensation. I mean, a genuine Mexican bottle of Patrón, that Pete gave me, with a promise that it would reach your hands."

"Only if you were to drink it with me, Ms Walker.I can't be responsible for a whole bottle" He said. "For old times sake?"

She placed the bottle on the table, between them, while she listened to Auggie's response. She bit her lower lip, a telltale sign that she was nervous, and thanked God he couldn't see her. She knew that tequila plus Auggie would not be a healthy combination, but she promised Pete. So she'd soldier up, and drink that whole bottle with him, consequences be damned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you for Cony, for editing it for me.**

* * *

 _She bit her lower lip, a telltale sign that she was nervous, and thanked God he couldn't see her. She knew that tequila plus Auggie would not be a healthy combination, but she promised Pete. So she'd soldier up, and drink that whole bottle with him, consequences be damned._

They decided to grab something to eat at Allen's, since both of them new that the tequila itself would do enough damage on its own, no need to add drinking it on an empty stomach. Their order arrived pretty quickly, a couple of burgers and a side of fries, and they ate in a comfortable silence. They already had a couple of beers each, and Auggie was already feeling a little buzzed. Not enough to do something stupid, but it made it hard for him not to think about the past. As Annie fished her car keys in her purse, he wondered if it would be better to call a cab, or a car service, and come back later for Annie's car, but she assured him she was alright to drive.

Annie had developed a high limit on alcohol during those four months she spent in Israel. She shuddered just thinking about all the times she drank herself into a stupor just to be able to exist. It was a miracle she's not an alcoholic right now. The first couple of days were the worst. She never imagined the toll that killing Henry would take, she was absolutely destroyed after that. She felt guilty about Teo, felt even guiltier about Helen. She hated herself for spending that night with Auggie, accepting so little of what he was offering. Then her heart gave up on her, and she felt it was a sign. So she did the only thing she could think of: she went to the one person who would help her, no questions asked. Not that Auggie wouldn't help her, it was just that she didn't want to deal with the questions he'd ask.

She felt bad for Eyal, because she knew he'd never deny her anything, and she had nothing to offer him in return besides friendship. At that time, she was not even sure if they could still be friends. She spent that 4 months in his company, let him help to put her together, and apart from one night, one especially dark night, they never crossed that line. Eyal always said that she could come to him for anything. She didn't even need to trust him, she just needed to know if she could use him to complete her mission. And he never failed. He never asked for more, never complained. He just put her back together. With a lot of alcohol involved in the process.

A couple of minutes later, and they found themselves driving to Auggie's apartment, the bottle of Patrón neatly tucked in Annie's bag. She debated between going to her place, or finding some neutral ground, but in the end decided that Auggie's would be the easiest choice. She knew it would be a long night. They had so much to talk about, and it would be better if he was somewhere he could get around easily and feel comfortable enough. She knew it would be hard, they had so many memories there. But she would get through it. It was worth it. He was worth it. I mean, their friendship was worth it. She couldn't risk it being any more than that. Yes, she could handle being her friend, but that was it, she couldn't let the lines blur again. Losing him once was bad enough, she couldn't fathom the idea of losing him again. She had made a decision and she would stick to it: no romantic entangles for Annie Walker. Not anymore.

The drive was short. Too short. They were both silent, suddenly, conversation seemed too much of an effort. She turned on the radio, and just kept driving. Soon, they arrived at his apartment, and she found a parking space right in front of it. They came up the stairs quickly, and silently. He opened the door for them, and stepped back to let Annie in.

She was taken a back at how little his apartment changed in two years. It was as if she had been there yesterday. She stood there for a while, just drinking it all in. When the memories were too much, she started moving around. She went in search of shot glasses while Auggie changed into a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He thought about offering her something more comfortable to wear, but was afraid she would read him wrong. Having Annie in his home was already wreaking havoc with concentration, he didn't know how he would feel knowing she was wearing his clothes too. Would it bring too many memories to her too? He wondered just how far he could push her before she ran. Well, it wasn't as if she was wearing a suit and really uncomfortable, impossible shoes. She was in jeans and a sweater, and probably flats. He decided to say nothing. If she wanted to change, she'd get her go bag in her car. He knew she'd have one ready.

He came into the living room at the same time she exited the kitchen with the glasses, the bottle of Patrón and a couple of water bottles. She placed the glasses and bottles on the table, and filled both glasses with the tequila. She took a deep breath, and offered Auggie one of the glasses. "To Pete!"

He accepted the shot of tequila she put in his hand, sat on the couch by her side, leaving a little bit of room between them, but being close enough to grab her arm if he needed. He held up his glass in a mock toast, and downed the first shot.

Several shots later, things looked a lot more normal between them. Auggie totally underestimated Annie's drinking capacity, he thought she would be all but passed out by now, judging by how drunk he was. But she was matching him, drink for drink. They were sitting on the floor, side by side, laughing together. He was telling her a story about a raid gone wrong a long time ago. They were laughing so hard that they could barely talk. The clock chimed, and Auggie noticed how late it was. Annie mentioned she took a couple of days off vacation, so he knew she was not working tomorrow. But he knew she should get back home before it got too late, or before they did something really stupid.

It was hard not to think about the past right now, with Annie sitting beside him, drinking tequila, sharing a couple of laughs. Too much time has passed, but still, he felt stuck. He was still in love with her, he'd probably be in love with her forever. But there was so much between them right now… so much hurt, so much to apologize for. Hell, he wanted another chance, but they just got back to some common ground, after two years of radio silence. It was not the right time.

"You know what, I think we should take the 'Vette out some day. Drive to the shore, make something of the days off you took…" Auggie said, the sudden silence between them a little unnerving.

"What about you? You've just come back to the agency, how will you afford a day off? She asked, thankful for any kind of normal conversation. Sitting on the floor of Auggie's apartment was the closest thing to normal between them.

"I have my ways, Walker. You should know that." He smirked.

"You think you can sweet talk Joan?" Annie teased him. She knew they have grown even closer after his return to Tech Ops.

"I'll offer to babysit little Mack, she'll be fine with it." He quipped.

"I thought you were better than that Anderson. You'd use a three-year-old just to spend a day at the beach with me?" She flirted, not really realizing what she was doing, and shoulder-checked him.

Auggie was suddenly speechless. All he could see right now, well, at least in his mind's eyes, was a day at the beach with a nearly naked Annie Walker by his side. He coughed, to disguise how dry his mouth suddenly was, from imagining the scene: Annie walker in a tiny little bikini, stretched beside him on the sand, the sun casting a warm glow around her, a cold beer in one hand. Her skin would glisten from the heat, and she would put her hair up, exposing her very kissable neck… _What the hell happened to your discipline, Anderson_ … He scolded himself. He was all but physically reacting to the images in his head.

He downed another shot of tequila, and decided to put some distance between them. Fast. But his body didn't seem to work properly. He tried to get up, but he discovered he was a lot more hammered than he imagined when he fall back on his ass. Annie, obviously, found it pretty hilarious. She tried to help him get up, after she stopped laughing hysterically, but all she did instead was managed to get both of them on the floor again, tangled in each other. They remained like that for a little while longer than they should have. He cleared his throat, and placed a lock of her hair behind her ear, his other arm holding her in place, while his finger danced lightly on her skin. He could feel the goose bumps his touch evoked.

"I think you should go." Auggie whispered, afraid to speak aloud, willing his heart to stay put together and not break in a million pieces. He had yet to lose his hold on her hair. If he was a religious man, he would start praying for strength, strength to let her go. He had no business starting anything with her right now. He should just let her go. Let go of her.

"I… I'm sorry." Annie mumbled. She tried to break free, but Auggie was still holding her down. He couldn't look into her eyes, but didn't really need to do that to know he hurt her, telling her she should leave. He could read her words pretty well, and even if he couldn't, she was suddenly as stiff as a board. He sighed, trying to clear his head.

"Annie…" He started, but she silenced him with her finger on his lips. If her scent alone was almost torturing, the feeling of her skin on his lips was his undoing… His mind was screaming for him to let her go, but his body refused to listen. His heart refused to listen.

"No, it's okay. I… I should go." Annie said. She placed her own hand on his, trying to free her arm, but couldn't move his hand. "Auggie, please…" She whimpered, but he didn't know if it was because he was hurting her by not kissing her, or not letting her go.

His mind went blank for a second, and his body took control. He pulled her close to him, and kissed her, softly at first. Tentatively. He could feel her yielding, little by little. He tried to hold back, to keep it light and soft. But Annie whimpered again, trying to fight the urge to lose herself in the kiss, and losing the battle, and he felt his control slipping away. And then, she all but melted into him, fisting her hands on his shirt. That was it, he snapped. In a swift move, he had her under him, his body pressing hers to the living room floor, her arms held above her head, and he kissed the daylights out of her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you to Cony, for editing it for me. :)**

* * *

 _That was it, he snapped. In a swift move, he had her under him, his body pressing hers to the living room floor, her arms held above her head, and he kissed the daylights out of her._

Annie's head was swimming. One part of her wanted to fight, to break free. This was too much for her, too soon. But the memories kept coming, and she was powerless to go against her own body. She still struggled, to no avail, since Auggie was not only stronger than her, but he knew all her counter-moves, having trained her himself. She knew it was futile to try to break free, to try to fight him, fight her emotions. She was tired, and lonely, and not thinking straight after those shots of Patrón. So she just gave up, gave in.

The minute he noticed that Annie was kissing him back, matching his feelings, he softened the kiss, and let go of her arms. He expertly maneuvered their bodies so she would be on top of him. He was still kissing her, his hands moving all over her body, getting reacquainted after all those years apart. The past came rushing back, to both of them. Auggie wanted to take charge, to drown her in his feelings, but refrained to do so. He took the first step, he kissed her. The ball was in her court now. She could stop if she wanted. The thing was, she didn't want to. She needed to think to decide to stop, to decide that this was too much, and she didn't want to think right now. She wanted to feel. She had spent so much time not feeling anything, not wanting anything, denying her heart, that she wanted to do anything but stop. So she jumped. Head first. She started to lift his t-shirt, and this time, it was Auggie who tried to stop her.

They were going too fast, too soon. He knew he wanted her, and he knew she wanted him. Again, he was blind, not stupid. He could feel her body's reaction to him, the way she clung to him, the way she kissed him. But he didn't know what she wanted _from_ him, from this. It was not fair, they could not gamble on their feelings again. So, cursing himself, he covered her hands with his, stilling her motions. Annie looked up, and assessed the situation. They were drunk. They were on the floor of Auggie's living room. She was straddling him. She could feel how much he wanted her, even with both their clothes on. They were both breathing hard, even breathless. Her lips were still tingling from his kiss, and in spite of all that, he was actually holding her hands to stop her from undressing him. Fuck.

He didn't want to do this. _Oh God. What the fuck am I doing._ She thought. _He wants me, I can tell he wants me. So, if he's stopping me, stopping this, he must obviously not want to want me. Oh God.I have to get out of here._

In a matter of seconds, Annie panicked. All her feelings, all the guilt, all the hurt, it all came back at once. This was too much, this was a mistake, and she needed to get the hell out of dodge before she did something even more stupid like sleeping with him again. It was Hong Kong all over again. He touched her, and she lost all self-control.

She came up so quickly she almost knocked him down again. She didn't say anything. She just got up, grabbed her things and ran for the door. Auggie knew this was getting out of hand too quickly. He'd be damned if he let another person get out of his life like that again. He may have done nothing to stop Parker, but he sure as hell was not letting Annie do the same.

He needed to think. Quick. He knew that Annie would not give him half a second to explain himself. She probably assessed the situation and got to the wrong conclusion. And he had less than a second to change it, to rectify it. He needed to move fast if he wanted to salvage whatever was left between them.

That kiss said a lot about the situation. He knew that she still wanted him. She still had feelings for him. And she was not sure about them, or else, she would not have asked him to let her go. She would have just broken the kiss and put some distance between them, but she didn't. He knew that he needed to get through her barriers before doing anything else. She was still convinced that she couldn't have emotional connections. She was still running from her own feelings.

He didn't exactly know how, but he managed to get up and get to the door a second after Annie. He felt her open the door, and he closed it again. Twice. With little effort he managed to place himself between her and the door. She tried to go for the door handle again, and he slapped her hand away.

"Walker…" he warned her, when she tried the door handle again.

"Let me out." Annie said, her voice as cold as ice. He knew that tone. That 'do not mess with me' tone. She was all business now. Whatever she was feeling, she put it aside and let the deadly operative Walker talk.

"No." He said, thinking two can play that game. "I let you walk out of my life too many times without even trying to stop you. I did that before and I'm not gonna do that again." He said, his tone hard and commanding.

He felt her stiffen, and get angrier. She always had a problem following orders. "You had no problem stopping me less than a minute ago." She told him, a great dose of venom in her voice.

Were this the old west, this would definitely be a shoot-out. They were both trying to get the upper hand and subdue the other. They were both players, and they were both playing to win, and to give in to the other was the best way of losing this game of strength before it even began.

"Damn it, Annie" he said, "I'm serious. I'm not gonna let you walk out again. And I sure as hell am not going to fuck you in the middle of my living room, when we're both too drunk to decide we really want to do that." He roughly told her.

She tried to body check him, to move him away from the door. She was tired, and embarrassed, and she just wanted to go home. But of course he knew that move, and easily evaded her, rotating them and pinning her to the door, keeping her arms glued to her body.

"Well, either let me go, or make me stay here." She angrily told him. "Make up your mind, damn it. I say I should go, and you kiss me. When I kiss you back, you tell me I should go. And when I do try to go, you don't let me. _Make. Up. Your. Damn. Mind._ "

He could tell she was hurt. He knew, he just _knew_ she would get the wrong idea in her mind, and now she backed him into a corner. No matter what he did now, it would not end well. If he let her go, she would vanish again. Lose herself in work, and make up some lame excuse to why they shouldn't be together. And if he made a move, if he decided to kiss her, to sleep with her tonight, without really talking through their issues, it would be just one night, one mistake. And he wanted a lifetime with her. He really did. But he knew getting drunk and spending the night together was not going to fix anything.

"It's not like that, Annie" He tried to say. In a way, she was right. He needed to make up his mind. But as usual, she charged head first into a situation without thinking about the possible outcomes. She was never good with waiting around for something to happen, she makes it happen one way or the other, and she usually gets burned in between. Well, not this time. "I'm not after an 'all or nothing here', Annie" he tried to say, but Annie was past listening.

"Either kiss me, or take your hands off me, Anderson." Annie said, not really knowing which one she actually preferred right now. She thought she had it all under control until he kissed her. She knew coming to his house was a mistake. There's too many memories for her to be able to think straight. Well, she was past thinking anyway.

When he didn't immediately do one or the other, Annie tried to shove him. He easily blocked her, and pressed his body into hers, gluing her to the door. He immobilized her, and tried to clear his mind. He didn't want to fight her, but things were getting out of hand. The more he pinned her to the door to hold her still, the more she struggled. And the more she struggled, the more he wanted to just give the damn in and fuck her against the door, like a teenager. _Get it together, Anderson._ He willed himself, trying to focus on the situation and not the warm body beneath his.

"Will you just calm down" he gritted, on the verge of losing his carefully constructed control. "Damn it, Annie" he said, when she stopped struggling and whispered "Just make up your damn mind." He lost it. He couldn't bear to hear the distress in her voice. He knew he had pushed her too hard, too far. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, cause her any more pain.

So he did make up his mind, and he kissed the hell out of her. Again. He let go of her arms to fist one hand on her hair, to keep her still, and slid the other one over her arms, passed her hips, and over her buttocks, grabbing one of her legs. Annie took that as a sign to wrap her legs around his waist, and once more was pinned to the door, while Auggie balanced both their weights. She tried to get rid of his shirt again, and this time Auggie didn't stop her. His shirt was on the floor in a matter of seconds, her own following it shortly. He made quick work of her bra, while she went for his pants. He slid her to the floor to finish undressing her, and soon they were all over each other again.

He had no idea how they managed to get to his bed, but that's where he wake up. Alone. His body was sore, and bruised, and his head was killing him, after one long night of heavy drinking and frenzied sex. He got up, and tried to assess the situation. He quietly listened for any sounds that would confirm that Annie was still around, and found none. She was gone. They met, gotten drunk, fought and ended up in bed. And before he could tell her what this meant, how much it meant, _she_ meant to him, she was gone. He sat down on his bed, a wave of nausea hitting him hard, and cursed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you to Cory, for editing it for me.**

* * *

 _He got up, and tried to assess the situation. He quietly listened for any sounds that would confirm that Annie was still around, and found none. She was gone. They have met, gotten drunk, fought and ended up in bed. He sat down on his bed, a wave of nausea hitting him hard, and cursed._

It took him almost double the time to get up, take a shower, get dressed and be ready to go to work. Not that he wanted to go to work. What he wanted was to stay in bed for the whole week, or at least until his headache was gone, and his mind felt a little less foggy. But there was a string of codes waiting to be broken at Langley, and Joan would not take kindly to a day off right now. Especially if she knew that Auggie had seen Annie the night before. And let's face it, there was nothing that happened concerning her agents that Joan didn't know about.

So he decided it was time to face his demons. He order a double espresso on his way to his desk, put on his headphones and discouraged small talk by furiously typing on his keyboard, and never took his eyes from the screen. Which meant nothing at all, since he couldn't see anything in front of him anyway. But it did the trick. Even Barber left him alone after he grunted a good morning as soon as Erik entered Tech Ops.

He spent most of the day holed up in his office, never leaving even to get some lunch. Joan had walked in front of the glass doors three times now, and Auggie still hadn't taken his eyes from the computer screen. She immediately knew something was not right. She tried to carefully approach her operative, and was stonewalled by the best of them. Well, it was time for some meddling, Joan decided. She had refrained from interfering with their dynamic, thinking to protect both of them. But enough was enough. She went back to her desk, and dialed McQuaid Security's phone number. If she didn't have an op to contract out to them she would create one.

A couple of hours later, Auggie was called into Joan's office. He hesitated briefly in the doorway, having recognized Ryan's voice, but schooled his features and came in. The awkward silence that followed told both Joan and Ryan everything they needed to know: something had happened between Annie and Auggie last night, and from the looks of it, it was nothing good. Well, there was nothing either of them could do about it right now. As much as Ryan wanted to protect Annie, to leave room for something to happen between them again, he knew it was not in his hands. True or not, Langley had called wanting an operative fluent in Russian, to cultivate a Russian asset who would be able to give them eyes and ears in the Russian embassy, since they had burned enough bridges there in the last couple of years. Ryan knew what Joan was looking for, and although he had other seasoned agents who spoke Russian, none of them was as good as Annie. Damn it, he had just given her a couple of days off, and he hated to bring her in again.

And, of course, they needed someone who had a lot of expertise in tracking and cloaking identities, who was familiar with the Russian network. Which meant that Annie's handler was an obvious choice. Well, Ryan would let Joan break the news to Annie; this was a hornet's nest he had no intention of touching. He had no desire at all to know what had happened between the two of them.

Annie avoided his eyes, even though that was totally unnecessary, and focused on the task at hand. She barely spoke, nodding once or twice just to let Joan and Calder know she was following them, took her files, and started to walk away. Auggie's hand on her arm stopped her cold. She took a deep breath and tried to smoothly retrieve her arm, but Auggie was having none of that.

"Hey, Walker, can we talk?" He said, as professional as possible, considering the circumstances. He was not fooled by Joan's games; he was not about to let a golden opportunity slip by. He wanted to give her some space, so she could work things out on her own, but he had made up his mind the other night. He knew that they had a lot of things to work through, but he knew what he wanted. He wanted her, and after having a taste, he was not about to let go.

He cornered her by Joan's door, after the briefing, determined to talk to her, and to smooth things over. He wished he did not wake up alone this morning. He wished Annie had stayed, so they could talk about them. But she had fled, and he was not going to make the same mistake again. They needed to talk, and he would follow her until she listened to him.

"I… Ah, I… There's … There's something I need to do right now." She said. She knew she faltered there in the beginning, but she recovered quickly. It would have worked, if she were not in a room full of spies. Fortunate for her, he wouldn't try to force her to talk to him in the middle of Langley. He would not make a scene. It was not his style.

"Sure, I can walk you out." He said, knowing that she could not refuse him a second time, not without raising suspicion. He could see she was rattled. She would never make a rooky mistake, like faltering in her speech, if she wasn't. His voice was soft, and his touch was very light on her arm, but even blind, his eyes carried the steel of his military training. A look that said he would not be denied.

"Really, Auggie, there's no need for you to walk me out. We can catch up later." She practically begged. She was beginning to sound too desperate, and both Joan and Calder were trying very hard not to notice it. A little more and she would be on the verge of a panic attack, and it would not be pretty. He must have sensed her panic, because he let go of her arm, and she slipped by him.

She managed to avoid him the whole day. Sure, she had an advantage, she could actually see him, which made avoiding him very, very easy. But he was not giving up. He would catch her later tonight. She would talk to him, he would make sure of that.

Annie was exhausted, after a day of working and dodging Auggie. She spent most of the day at the Agency, but she needed to swing by McQuaid's to retrieve some files before going home. Great, now she would need to avoid Ryan too. He was not stupid; he surely picked up some vibes between her and Auggie, and probably put two and two together. She took a deep breath and got inside her car. She needed this day to be over, like, right now. She had close to no sleep at all and a massive headache when she woke up this morning, which put her on a bad mood most of the day. She knew she needed to talk to Auggie, she just had no desire to do that today. She needed sleep to clear her head, and she needed a clearer head to be able to deal with Auggie.

She parked her car at McQuaid's Headquarters, and prayed that Ryan was already gone. She took the elevator instead of the stairs because even though she needed the exercise, she needed to get out as quickly as possible. She managed to get inside her office and get out with the files in less than a minute, but as soon as she closed the door, she bumped into Ryan.

"Annie. I thought you would be at Langley this next couple of days." He said. "I was just going to drop some papers on your desk, nothing that requires immediate attention." He looked everywhere but her eyes. "I, ah, I was just leaving."

"Ryan…"She started, but didn't know what to say to him. She didn't like this tension between them. Before she could think about something to say, he looked at her, and put his hand out, to stop her talking.

"It's okay Annie. I get it. We gave it a try, it didn't work out. It's water under the bridge. It's been water under the bridge for some time now." He said. They were, after all, over for quite some time, now. He should have had this conversation ages ago, but Auggie had never been an issue she openly discussed with him. He knew she was hurt by his leaving the agency, but until now, he hasn't seen the whole picture. "I always knew there was something between you two." He didn't sound angry. More like, resigned.

"Not when we were together." She rushed to tell him, "It was already over for a while, before I met you." She said softly.

"I know, Annie. I was not trying to imply that… Ah, hell. Look, I loved you, I offered you a life, a good life. But I always knew that there was something holding you back. After that rescue mission, I figured it out, and I… Ah… I asked you to marry me, because I was afraid of losing you. Maybe if I didn't, we'd still be together. But you have to know that I would have asked you anyway, eventually. I tried – _we_ tried. It didn't work out."

"I loved you too, Ryan. I really did. Maybe not as much as I would like, but it was real to me too. We had something. Whatever happened between Auggie and I before we met, and whatever happens between Auggie and I now, well…" She tensed, she didn't want to make it right now, think about her and Auggie.

"I know, Annie. I get it." He smiled. "Take care of yourself". He said, and then he was gone, and she was free to go home.

The drive to her apartment was uneventful, but she was exhausted when she got home. The talk with Ryan was good, it was something she needed to do for some time now. It eased her heart a little bit, to know he understood, to know that things were okay between them. But it reminded her that she really needed to talk to Auggie too, and she was nowhere near ready to do that. She felt like a teenager, sneaking away while he was sleeping, like he was a mark, or a job she just did. But she couldn't face him yet. Her head had been full of tequila, and she had vowed to herself that she was not going to go there. But she did anyway. _Stop thinking about it_ , she told herself. She would have a good night sleep, and avoid Auggie for a day or two, to gather her courage, and then she would talk to him.

She drove around her house twice, to make sure she was not being followed, parked her car in a secluded spot, checked her surroundings again, and came inside. She left the keys on the side table by the door and disabled the alarm. The silence was deafening. Frowning, she fumbled with her purse a little, as if she was looking for something, sighted, and put the purse in the sofa, seated on the end of her living room. She stretched a little, working her sore muscles, and quickly turned around, with a cold look in her brown eyes, her back to the wall, her pistol in her hands, aimed at his heart.

"Hello, Walker." Auggie said, amused. "Is the gun really necessary?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you to Cony, for editing it for me. :)**

* * *

 _She stretched a little, working her sore muscles, and quickly turned around, with a cold look in her brown eyes, her back to the wall, her pistol in her hands, aimed at his heart._

 _"Hello, Walker." Auggie said, amused. "Is the gun really necessary?"_

"Jesus, Auggie… Do you have a death wish?" Annie said, a little more forcefully than she intended. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest. She engaged the safety mechanism again, opened her safe, and placed the pistol inside it. "What were you thinking, breaking into my apartment?"

"Well, it was the only place I could think of that you would not be able to avoid me, although it did take me a while to find your safe house." He said, not so amused this time. "By the way, you need to change your security system. It took me less 3 minutes to disable it and get inside."

"You're a hacker, Anderson. You'd be lousy at your job if you didn't." She said, referring to both finding her safe house and disabling the alarm. She went into the kitchen and came back with two bottles of beer. She placed one on the table, right in front of Auggie, and took a sip of the one in her hand. "Beer at 12 o'clock". She said. She was desperately trying to buy some time.

"Thanks. Should I be worried about you? I mean, after all we drank last night…" Auggie tried to break the ice. He knew exactly how she would react, just like he knew she would go for her gun when she noticed someone inside her apartment. This was one of the advantages of having been her handler for quite some time: he knew her, he could predict her moves, foresee most of her plays. Well, most of. It was still a sore spot for him that she managed to evade him for 4 months when she went to Eyal. That was one move he had not expected, not after what they went through in Hong Kong. Well, let's just add it to the least of things to talk about, right after Helen, and way before Ryan.

"Well, if you want to talk about last night, I'll need something stronger then beer…"Annie said. But before she could get up, Auggie was at her side, his hands steadying her, and keeping her close to him. He could feel how tense she was, and even though he knew he should change tactics, to put her at ease, he was too hurt by her running away from him this morning.

"It was supposed to be a joke, Walker." He said, his voice dangerously low. "Is it so hard to talk to me know? We used to be good at talking."

"We used to be good at a lot of things Auggie, but that was a long time ago." She said, trying to turn away from him. _Stop, just stop, Walker. Breath. You're just nervous. You want to talk things over, remember? You want to be with him._

But the instinct to protect herself, to attack when she felt cornered, was too ingrained. She needed to calm down, but finding Auggie in her apartment had thrown her off. She needed to get her bearings again, to pull herself together. Otherwise, they would continue to walk in circles.

Auggie sighed. When he decided to come by Annie's apartment, he was not thinking about breaking and entering. But he got tired of waiting for her, and well, she couldn't avoid him if he were already inside her apartment, right? He didn't take into account that he would piss her off by doing that. He wanted to talk to her, there was so much he needed to say. Well, it looks like he's in for a long night again.

"Come on, Annie." He tried again. "We seemed to be doing a pretty good job with a lot of things yesterday. We were good, things were good. It felt like old times, drinking together, sitting on the floor, laughing, just hanging out. It felt normal. I mean, at least until I woke up and you were gone."

"I… Ah… I'm…" She stuttered. Why was she getting so defensive? Scratch that, if she was getting defensive she would be lashing out. Why the hell couldn't she just say what she needed to say? She was a linguist, for God's sake, how the hell could she be out of words?

"The word you're looking for is "I'm sorry, Auggie", or at least, it should be." He quipped. He was trying to keep his temper in check, but Annie was not helping.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like a teenager and just left. I should have stayed and talked about it. Like an adult. But I woke up, and I didn't know what to do, I panicked. We had already went that road once, and we really shouldn't have let things go too far…"she finally said it.

"I know. God, I know, Annie. We shouldn't have rushed it. There's so much between us, so much hurt, so much we need to talk about…. But that doesn't change how I feel about you, or what I want." He said. "Last night did happen, and we can't run away from it, pretend it never happened. We have to be able to talk to each other, honestly, if we want this to work."

"But what if I don't know what I want right now?" She whispered, and Auggie immediately let go of her. Fuck. This was not going to end well, was it? Would they ever be able to just let go of the phantoms of the past and be together? He didn't doubt that she had feelings for him. He may be blind, and it may have taken a while, before, to notice how she felt about him, but he was not stupid. Last night would not have happened if she didn't have feelings for him. But if she did, and if she wanted to be with him, it had to be her decision too. She needed to be able to say it, she needed to stop running from her feelings. Otherwise, this would never work. He couldn't do it all alone. He needed her to meet him halfway.

"Well, then I don't know what I'm doing here." He said, angrily, and headed for the door. This was going nowhere.

"Auggie, please…" Annie started, surprised by his outburst. She tried to stop him, before he could get to the door, but he just jerked his arm out of her hands.

"No, you don't get to do that again, to say that again. Damn it, Annie. I love you. I want to be with you. I wanted to take things slow, to talk about it, but as usual, things got a little out of hand yesterday, like most things between us usually do. But that does not mean I don't want to be with you." He exploded. "You asked me last night to make up my mind, and I did. Maybe it's time you do the same."

"I…" She tried, willing herself to say something. Anything. _Damn it Walker. Just pick a damn word and say it_ , she thought, but nothing came out of mouth "I…"

"You what, Annie?" He asked. "Make up your damn mind!" He demanded, angrily. When she didn't answer immediately, he just gave up. They were back where they started, after she decided to go dark. He would not, could not go through that again. He hoped things were going to be different now. Sure, last night was not his idea of how to get back together with Annie. But it was a start. All misunderstandings aside, last night had been amazing: he knew he wanted to be with her, and knew she wanted to be with him. Of course, that night could have gone a lot smoother if he just hadn't hesitated. But he did, twice. Right before he kissed her, and then when he stopped her, because he wanted her to be sure that was what she wanted to do. And now, well, it seemed that now she was doing the same thing, Hesitating. And he was not buying it.

She asked him to make up his mind yesterday, and he did. He put aside his fears, his reservations, he saw past the hurt and the mistakes. He thought she had already made up her mind too, when she asked him. Well, apparently not. He was so mad at her that he needed to get out. Maybe they really needed some space, some time, before they could talk about it, talk about them. But he was too angry right now to do more than just storm out. Angry at her, angry at himself, angry at the world. He'd send her some flowers tomorrow, with an apology, but right now, he needed to get out before he did something stupid. Like throwing caution to the wind and just let his body take over, and ravish her against the door again.

He opened the door and let himself out. "Goodbye, Walker."

Annie was stunned, unable to move. _How_ , she thought, _how the hell did this just blew up in my face?_ _What the hell is the problem with me?_ She _knew_ she loved him. She never stopped. She wanted to be with him. Last night, last night was all sorts of amazing. He managed to get to her, to break her walls, almost effortlessly. Of course she wanted to be with him, that was not the problem. She was just afraid of losing him again. She could not bear losing him again. So when he said that he loved her, that he wanted to be with her, she was paralyzed with fear. Like a rookie.

But then, something shifted inside of her, and she was running after him. She opened the door, and saw him opening the door to a taxi, at the corner of her street. She ran to him, trying to get to him before he entered the taxi. She all but pulled him out of the car, closing the door. Without thinking twice, she pushed him into the closed door, and crashed her lips to his.

Auggie recognized those steps, and that scent, before she slammed him into the car's closed door, so when she pushed into him, and kissed him, he kissed her back with equal measure. But before the kiss could get out of hand, they were both reminded of their whereabouts, when the taxi driver turned the car on. Auggie came up for air, suddenly remembering his manners, thanked the taxi driver, and pulled Annie into his arms. He knew he pushed her far enough. He was not expecting anything else right now, other than her finally going after him, and that sweet kiss. Which is why he almost sank to his knees when he heard her whisper:

"I love you" She finally said.

"I love you too"


	7. Epilogue

**Post Series. Auggie had left to travel the word with Natasha, and Annie had dove head first into work. This is how they got back to where they belong. Pure Walkerson. A huge thank you to Cory, for editing it for me.**

* * *

3 years later...

"Annie?" Auggie asked, entering his apartment. It was close to eleven o'clock and he was tired. He had thought he'd be able to get home earlier today, but the op he was handling was still running, and his operative was no Annie Walker. He was a good operative, but he was not one to think quickly on his feet, and that made him careless sometimes. He was smart, really smart, but when things got out of hand and he needed to improvise, he was slow to take action. That is what is going to kill him. Or get him arrested, which in Venezuela was almost the same thing. So what should have been an easy brush pass had turned into a 3 day nightmare. He was laying low now, and they were waiting for the DCS to authorize his extraction. Which is how Auggie managed to come home, and not be stuck at the office.

"In the kitchen," she answered. "I was going to wait for you, but I got hungry." She said, embarrassed. She turned around, and her smile turned to worry as she saw how tired he was. "I'm reheating yesterday's pizza. There's a beer on your 12. I just opened it." She said, and went to the fridge to retrieve another bottle. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Just tired." He said. He wanted to talk to her, tell her about this operation-turned-nightmare, but he didn't know if she was briefed. Since Langley was contracting out his extraction, maybe she did hear about it. He had yet to check with Joan what the DCS had decided. It was still weird, even after 3 years, to not being able to talk freely to Annie about his ops. She was still at McQuaid's Security, much to his exasperation. He loved Annie, and trusted her with his life, but that didn't mean he had to like that she was still working for Ryan. He was not stupid; he knew that Ryan still loved her, even if he never really did anything to get in their way. He was not comfortable knowing that her boss was head over heels over her. He had thought that, after they worked things out, that she would return to the Agency, and they would be Operative and Handler again. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. But he was wrong. She decided to stay at McQuaid's, and keep their work dynamic as it was. They talked about it, about her relationship with Ryan, and the fact she was still working with him, but they never really talked about why they broke up. Annie never talked about it, and Auggie was afraid to ask.

Those first few months were hell on earth to him. They had said their 'I love yous' and they had been together ever since, but it took them awhile to work through their issues. Truth is, they were still dealing with them. Not on an everyday basis, but sometimes, something would rear its ugly head, and they would deal with it instead of running away or pretending nothing was going on. That first night, Auggie walked back to Annie's apartment, and they promised each other they were going to talk about their demons. But it took time, and some things hurt so much that sometimes Auggie needed a break from talking. Sometimes they would just lie down and hold each other, not talking. But other times, he needed a physical break from her. Like when she told him about the four months she was with Eyal. He liked Eyal, they were somewhat friend ever since he got her out of that Russian prison. He was there for Annie when he couldn't be, like when she faked her death. But it hurt. It hurt a lot that she had come to Eyal instead of him when she discovered her heart condition. He remembered that talk as if it was yesterday.

 _"_ _So, you told me you sought Eyal's help. This was what: one week, two weeks? To do those tests? What happened then? I mean, you were gone for nearly four months." Auggie asked. He had a feeling he knew the answer to that one, but he still needed to know._

 _"_ _I stayed." Annie said, not looking up, her voice but a whisper._

 _"_ _You… stayed?" Auggie said. "Is that all you have to say to me? Come on, Annie. We agreed to talk, didn't we?" He insisted._

 _"_ _That is it, Auggie. I stayed with him, I needed time to put myself together, and well… He was the one to do that. He helped me. He helped me to regain my strength, my confidence. He helped me with the nightmares after Henry. He helped me with my heart. In some ways, I think he saved me." Annie said. She didn't want to tell him that. She knew it would break Auggie to hear that, but she agreed to be truthful. They agreed to talk about it, so she would honor their agreement. She just hoped that there would be something to salvage them after that._

 _"_ _You stayed with him." Auggie repeated. He was stuck. He wanted to yell, to break something. He wanted to lash back, because it hurt. Hearing that Annie slept with Eyal, hurt. Knowing that she stayed with him, gave a part of herself to him, hurt. But hearing that he saved her, that he was the one to put her back together? It destroyed him. If there was such a thing as a killing blow, that would be it. So he did the only thing he could, under the circumstances. He walked away. He simply got up, got his things, and walked out the door. He could hear Annie calling him, he knew she called his phone a couple of times, but he just couldn't bring himself to answer it, to talk to her._

He was very ashamed of himself, for walking out on her. But he couldn't bear being near her when she told him they've been together the whole time she was in Israel. He hated Eyal for being the one to put her back together, and he hated Eyal for loving her, almost as much as he did. He got out of her apartment, because he needed to think. He took a walk, stopped at a bar, and had a couple of beers to clear his head.

Deep down, he had always known that something had happened between them. He just didn't know that it was not an once-in-a-lifetime thing. And that hurt a lot. After he finished that second beer, he walked back home, to find Annie exactly where he left her. She told him she was not running away anymore. That's when he first new they were going to be okay.

He forgave her for Eyal, but he had yet to forgive himself for Helen. But since they promised to work through their issues, and she had talked to him about Eyal, he knew that he needed to come clean too, and talk about Helen. So, after he sat down and apologized for walking away, he told her about Helen. He told her that when he received that message, he was sure it came from Annie, that she was the one he was going to meet. He told her that, when he realized it was Helen, he wanted to just go away, go back home. But Helen wanted to talk to him, to show him something. So he came inside her apartment. It was clear that she wanted to make amends, to apologize for what she did in the past. They shared some wine, and she apologized for not being able to find Annie. Just hearing about Annie hurt, so much, that for a moment he wanted to just forget about it, to do something to stop the pain, to distract himself. So he did the only thing he knew to stop the pain. He slept with Helen.

He was already feeling guilty enough about it, even before he asked Annie to help him clean her apartment, before the Agency cleaners got there. He thought it impossible to hurt more until she said something about him knowing his way around Helen's apartment. That conversation weighed heavily in his mind for years...

 _"_ _You seem to know your way around." Annie said, after taking a look at the apartment: the unmade bed, the glasses of wine. She didn't bother to pretend she didn't know, didn't bother to mask the sadness in her voice._

 _"_ _Yeah." Auggie said. If regret could kill a person, he would be a dead man now. "Annie, this is not what I wanted. This is not what I want…" He tried. He had to tell her, that he thought it was Annie he was meeting. That he hoped it was Annie showing him around. That it was Annie he was kissing. He tried to apologize, but Annie wouldn't let him. Not now._

That little conversation consumed him, for a long time. Because there was so much he wanted to say to her, to explain, and never got to because someone was trying to break into Helen's apartment, and Annie was still not done with her mission. But for him, this, this was the beginning of their end. He used to feel that they still had a shot, that Annie just needed to come back. To finish with Wilcox and come back, and they would find a way back to each other. But not after Helen. If Annie hadn't been there, if he could have found a way to tell her after everything was over and done with, maybe she could have forgiven him. But Helen happened. Then Hong Kong happened. And then Eyal happened. And there was no way back to each other anymore. But now, now that they have finally found each other, he was afraid of talking about it.

 _"_ _You don't have to explain". Annie said, without realizing that with that sentence, she managed to send Auggie back to a trip down memory lane._

 _"_ _You know, you said that exact sentence to me back then, in Helen's apartment. And it's not true Annie. I do need to explain. I do. What I did, it was not right. Not to you, not to Helen, and not to me. But I was so sad that day. I was sure you were the one to send me that text. I was thinking about you the whole bus trip. It was like, I could almost feel you by my side." He said, trying to explain._

 _"_ _I was, Auggie." Annie said, a little ashamed to admit._

 _"_ _What?" Auggie's head turned in Annie's direction, surprise emanating from his beautiful eyes._

 _"_ _I was sitting by your side on that bus. I needed to see you, to be near you. So I went to your apartment, but couldn't make myself knock on your door. I stood there for a while, and I saw you leaving. So I just… went with you. Then I saw you were meeting Helen. I told myself that it didn't mean anything. That you were there to talk, that she had something to show you." Annie confessed. "I was thrown off course when you went to her apartment after that, and it was clear that you slept together."_

 _"_ _How could I not know you were there on that bus with me? How could you not say anything?"_

 _"_ _I didn't know how to talk to you anymore, Auggie. I didn't know how to be that Annie, your Annie. I tried, I opened my mouth to talk to you two or three times. But I guess I chickened out."_

 _"_ _God, Annie. I'm sorry, I really am sorry. But how could you just sit there, by my side, and not say anything?" He said, blinking away the tears._

That must have been the most difficult conversation they've had. To Auggie, he spent so much time blaming himself for having slept with Helen, that knowing Annie had been so close to him was like a slap to the face. Maybe if she had said something, if she had let him know she was there, she was close, he wouldn't have slept with Helen. And just thinking about it made him angry, a lot angry with himself: it was like he was trying to place the blame on Annie for driving him to Helen, and he was better than that. He refused to put the blame on others for his shortcomings. But after that conversation, things got progressively easy.

There were fewer things to talk about. None of them was easy, but they were getting there. They still needed to work through some things, like Hong Kong, for instance, but not today. Today Auggie looked exhausted, and Annie had news of her own to share with him.

He took one slice of yesterday's pizza, a bottle of beer, sat down on his living room, and waited for Annie to sit by his side. He started to talk without even noticing.

"Jason Armstrong is going to be the death of me." He said, before downing at least a third of the contents of this beer bottle.

"So, this is the new operative. Is he still giving you so much trouble?" She asked, thinking back to her first few months on the job.

"Well, he's no Annie Walker, you know." He said, smiling.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment, Anderson?" She asked.

"Well… yeah. I mean, even on your first mission you were quick on your feet. You manage to turn things around and get the intel." He said. "Of course, we ended up dragged from a morgue to the FBI basement, but still…" he left it there.

"Oh, I see what you mean." Annie smiled. "But still, give him some time. He might surprise you."

"If he manages to get back from Venezuela in one piece, he will surprise me!" He quipped.

"About that…" Annie started, testing the waters.

"You're the extraction team…" Auggie blurted out. Damn it, he really hated that Annie was going to put herself in danger, but at least, if she were the extraction team, he was going to be the one handling her. This was his op, after all.

"Yeah, not exactly." Annie said. "I was going to be, but that was before Ryan called me to a meeting."

Auggie groaned. It didn't matter how much they talked about Ryan, he was never going to be comfortable with the fact that they worked closely together. He knew that he had asked her to marry him, before he went away with Natasha, but she never told him what happened after that. He knew she never got married, sure, but still… She was still working for him, under him, and that drove him insane. Three years, they've been together for three freaking years, and he still hated talking about Ryan McQuaid. Sometimes he felt that it was Ryan who was keeping Annie from going back to the agency, and being his operative again. Like he was in the way of their happily ever after. Deep down he knew that Annie was never going back to the Agency, because she felt that it was the Agency that had drove them apart, when she went after Wilcox. She had said it before, but until today, Auggie still had hope she would eventually change her mind and come back to Langley.

Annie noticed Auggie's jealousy rearing its ugly head, and thought that maybe it was time to explain what really happened after Ryan asked her to marry him and she declined. She sighed, and decided to start with the easier part. The present.

"He asked me to be his Director of Operations, starting tomorrow." She said. There, it was out in the open. The big promotion, the game-changer in her carrier. Something that the Agency would never be able to offer her.

"He what?" Auggie almost lost his grip on the beer. He put it down on the table, and turned to Annie. "That is amazing, Annie!" He said, truthfully. He was happy for her. It was a big deal, a promotion like this. And it would mean that she would be less in the field, which would be good for her heart condition. Yeah, he knew it was manageable, and she has been managing it since she came back, but still… She would get to pick the missions she really wanted to take part in, but she would be responsible for all of them. If only she's working for any other security company or the Agency.

"Well, I'm sure Arthur had a big say about it." She said. "He's been filling Caitlyn's shoes for a while now. Without trying to bring the company down, and getting us killed, I mean. He's been great."

"Well, I'm sure this was easier to ask than his last question to you." Auggie said, tired of avoiding this conversation. This Ryan stuff was in his mind for a while now. Especially since last Christmas party, where he caught some of Ryan's operatives talking about them, how they worked so well together, even after they broke up. He had to remind himself sometimes that he actually liked the guy, that he was the one who helped Annie save his life when Belenko abducted him. But after letting Annie go more than once, he couldn't help but projecting some of his own feeling to Ryan.

"Really, you want to go there now, Auggie? I finally get a nice promotion, something that would mean the world to my carrier, and you want to talk about Ryan?"

"Well, since the promotion came from the same guy who asked you to marry what, 5 years ago? Yeah, I think we need to talk about it." He said. Finally. It was there, out in the open. One of the last demons they needed to deal with. They had talked about Henry Wilcox, about Eyal, about Helen. They had talked about not working together, about Annie having another handler who was not Auggie. They even talked about Paris and Barcelona, and his fear that he would never be enough for Annie, or the fact that she didn't trust him enough, and ended up choosing the op instead of him. But they hadn't talked about Ryan's proposal, and the fact that she was still working for him.

"Auggie… It was a long time ago. He asked, I said no. We continued dating for a while then we broke up. We work together, we're a good team. His offer to make me Director of Operations has nothing to do with our past relationship. He's thinking about Joan, and Calder, and the fact that I know Langley inside out…"

"He has Arthur for that. For God's sake, the man was the DCS himself. He wouldn't need you to have a nice layout of Langley's ins and outs…"

"So, you're saying what? That he's offering me the job to get to sleep with me?" Annie asked, angrily.

"He's trying to get closer to you…" Auggie started, but Annie interrupted him.

"He's been my boss for the past 3 years, and my handler for the past 6 months, Auggie. He doesn't need to get any closer to me than he already is.

"He's your… How could you not tell me he's your handler? And what is the CEO of McQuaid's Security doing handling any operative? What the hell, Walker?" He said, getting angrier. As if being anyone's handler was a walk in the park. Didn't he know how much danger he must have put her through, just because he decided to do someone else's job? He's the fucking CEO of his company. He's a soldier, he's not a handler.

"Because I knew you would react like that. He wanted to test me. Test my skills, test my resourcefulness. He's been thinking about this for some time. And for the record, it was Arthur's idea for him to be my handler for some time, so that he could understand how I handle his operations." She said. She couldn't believe what he was implying. "You know what? I'll take a shower. You can finish the pizza, and we'll talk once you calm down."

"Why did you two break up?" He asked when Annie was halfway to the bathroom.

"He asked me to marry him again. I said no. He said that if I didn't intend to marry him someday, I should just let him go. So I did." Annie said. When she was met with Auggie's silence, she went ahead and got into the shower.

Auggie just stood there. He sighed, knowing that he really was an ass. He searched his keys, and let himself out. He went to the nearby store, and bought some champagne, and some chocolates. He called her favorite restaurant on the way home, and ordered some celebratory dinner. He was just finishing setting the table when Annie walked into the living room. She noticed the candles, the champagne, the chocolates, and smiled.

He noticed her presence right away, and smiled. At least things were really getting a little bit normal between them, if he could just sense her presence like that. He turned in her direction, and offered his hand to her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to imply he was trying to make a move. I know you guys are over. But I can't help it, sometimes. I can't ignore that you have a past with him, and that makes me jealous." He apologized. "I can get nasty when I'm jealous, I know that. Forgive me?" He said, looking right into her eyes. He had the uncanny ability to maintain eye contact even being blind.

"I'll always forgive you, Auggie. I love you." She said, and that was the truth. She would forgive him anything, because they were Annie and Auggie. Auggie and Annie. They belong together, like two pieces of the same soul. They fought tooth and nail to be together. Yeah, there were still some things to work out, but they were getting there. They have been working on their issues. She loved him. This was her end game.

"I love you too, Ms. Director of Operations."

* * *

 **A/N: This was it. I hope you liked it! :)**


End file.
